La Tecla Asustada

Macri managed to dilute his past and play the role of the champion against corruption — a now depleted strategy By Sebastián Lacunza @sebalacunza Before Mauricio Macri had even thought of running for president, he was already a well-known figure in Argentina. First, as a young executive and partner in the companies of his father Franco Macri, who made his fortune out of state contracts from the last dictatorship onwards; later as president of Boca Juniors; and finally (having already taken the plunge into politics) as national deputy and Buenos Aires City mayor. The emergence of today’s president into the public limelight dates back to the early 1990s. He was presented as a young big business face then showing enthusiasm for the presidency of the neo-conservative Peronist Carlos Menem. Not in vain since Socma (Sociedades Macri) had obtained lion’s shares of its fortune via privatisations and public service concessions. But this business role also had its bitter taste for to...

By Sebastián Lacunza Buenos Aires Herald Antes de que Mauricio Macri expusiera tan sólo la intención de postularse a la Presidencia, su figura ya era conocida para los argentinos. Primero, como joven ejecutivo y socio de las empresas de su padre, Franco Macri, que había forjado su fortuna con negocios con el Estado desde la última dictadura en adelante; más tarde como presidente de Boca Juniors; y por último, ya en el plano político, como diputado nacional y jefe de Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. La emergencia del hoy presidente a la luz pública se produjo a comienzos de los 90. Fue presentado como una cara joven del gran empresariado nacional, que por entonces demostraba entusiasmo con la presidencia del conservador peronista Carlos Menem. No en vano Sociedades Macri había logrado su parte en las privatizaciones y concesiones de servicios públicos. El papel empresarial le trajo al hoy Presidente algún trago amargo, como el procesamiento por contrabando de autos a trav...

By Sebastián Lacunza Editor-in-Chief With Milagro Sala’s case, Macri faced an early wake-up call to tackle an issue he had disregarded. A year later, the Pink House moves pieces to calm the international waters. The international calls for the release of Jujuy social leader Milagro Sala have brought Mauricio Macri face-to-face with one of his weak points at an early stage in his presidency — namely, his disdain for the world of human rights, an element underpinning Argentine democracy. In almost two decades of political career, Macri never bothered to build up any links with human rights representatives in Argentina but the arrest of Sala in Jujuy, a province where pre-democratic logic reigns, has forced the national government to deploy an emergency strategy to confront the international demands. The Argentine president took it upon himself 13 months ago to start pointing fingers at his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro for the conviction of opposition pol...